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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

, G. L. WARREN. I I SAFETY SHIFT 0R LOCK FOR SPLIT SWITCHES. N0. 531,238. Patented Dec. 18, 1894.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. L. WARREN. SAFETY SHIFT 0R LOGK FOR SPLIT SWITCH-ES. 7 No. 531,238. Patented Dec. 18, 1894;

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. WARREN, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TQ WATTS N. DAVIS, OF SAME PLACE.

SAFETY SHIFT 0R LOCIK- FOR SPI..|T SWITCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters P atent No. 531,238, dated December 18, 1894.

. A plication filed J'une 18, 1894.: Serial No. 514.364:- (No model.)

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. WARREN, a citizen of the United States, residing at,St.=

Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Safety Shifts or Locks for Split Switches; and'I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appen The device is designed for cooperation with an automatic switch-stand, or with the ordinary non-automatic switch-stand by slight changes in the switch-stand connections, for lnsuring the closing of the main line, after a train hasrun through the closed switch from the branch, and for holding the main line closed, notwithstanding breakage of the switch-stand or tie-bars connecting the movable points, which frequentlyhappens in the service. g v I To this end, my invention consistsof the novel devices and combinations of devices, hereinafter fully described and defined in the claims. f k

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention, wherein like letters refer to like parts. i

Figure 1 isa plan view of a split or point railway switch, having my safety device applied thereto, with some of the parts shown in section, and other parts broken away. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the switch-stand detached. Fig. 3 is a detail of the divided switch shaft, employed in the automatic stands. Fig. 4: is a plan view of the-safety device, as applied to the rails, shown on a larger scale than in Fig. 1, with some parts broken away. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the lines X X of Fig. 4', looking, in the directionof the arrow on Fig. 4. Fig. 6, is an inner end elevation of the safety device, with some parts broken away; and Fig. 7 is a vertical section, on the lineX X? of Fig. 5,1001;- ing outward or toward the switch-stand. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the slot and pin connection between the switch-bar and crank used when applying the safety device for co-operation with the non-automatic switch stand. 7

Having regard tothe switch proper, a. a 01, represent the fixed or stock-rails, and b b the movable or point rails; and of these, the parts a a bco-operate to form the main line track, and the parts I) a? cooperate to form the switcher branch track. switch-bar, connecting the points b b with the crank-arm c, on the divided or sectional switch-shaft c 0 Thesaid shaft sections 0 c areconnected by the stifi torsional spring c as shown in- Fig. 3, and are mounted in the and has been relied upon to again close the main line automatically, after thecar has passed from the branch onto the main line. In this action, the springv 0 would yield, to permit theinovable points to be thrown over against the rail a, by the camming action of the wheel flanges, whenon the rail a against the point b,- and the said spring c 'was supposed to be strong enough to draw the points back, after the car had passed through the switch, so as to close the main line; but in practice,it has been found that the automatic switch is not perfectly reliable to automatically close the main line. 7 Under the rough usage of the service, sufficien't slack will be developed, either by the lost motion in the parts, or by the weakening of the spring of, to permit the movable points to remain partly open after atrain has run through from the branch track. This of course, will cause derailment of a train running onthe main track, or will throw the same at full speed into the branch. Moreover, if the tie-bars b connecting the movable .points, or the switchstand should become broken, as oftenhap pens by a trailing coupling or brake-rigging, the switch is almost sure to be leftin its open or half open position.

c is the ordinary a \Vith the common non-automatic switchstand, if a train should be run through the closed switch from the branch-track, the rail will be turned down, or the switch-stand will be broken. Any or all of the above conditions at the switch, is almost sure to wreck a train on the main line.

To overcome all these limitations, is the object of my improvement.

For this purpose, I provide a rocking shiftrod or bar d, having on its inner end a lug d, which in one position of the rod will engage with one of the movable points, and in another position of the rod, will release thesaid points, permitting the same to be operated by the ordinary switch-lever. The rod (1 is sub ject to a spring d reacting against the adjacent fixed or stock rail, or other suitable fixed base of resistance, and serves when the rod is in its locking position, to yieldingly hold the movable point in position to close the main line and restore the switch to its closed position, in case a train should run through the switch from the branch. The outer end of the rod (1 is provided with an operating lever d having attached to its upper end a padlock and chain, indicated at d, which when the lever d is in its locking position, can be made fast to the stand lugs 0 to secure both the switch-lever c and the safety shift lever d in their switch locking position.

In my preferred construction, I provide a pair of bearing brackets d? d, which are bolted respectively, the former to the inner face of the point rail d, and the latter to the outer face of the stock rail a. These brackets d d are notched to receive the foot-flanges of the rail, over which they extend, and form a close fit with the top surfaces of said foot flanges and the webs of the rails to which they are bolted. The said brackets 01 d are also provided with beveled cam surfaces d forcooperation with the lug d, on the rocking rod or bar (1, when turning the same into its looking position; and both are also provided with passages d for the lug (2, extended from the bearing seats for the rod (1, in proper position, to permit the bracket to move over the said lug d, when the lever 61 and the rod 61, are in their unlocked and releasing position. It is only necessary that the inner bracket d shouldhave the cam surface 02 and the camlug passage d; but the outer bracket d is made in the sameway as a matter of convenience and economy of construction, and in order to permit the said brackets d and d to be interchanged at will. In other words, the said brackets d and d are exactly alike, and when in position, the cam-lug passages d will stand in a reverse relation to each other, and will permit the rod d to be removed from the bracket, without removing any of the other parts.

The outer end of the rod 01 works freely through a fixed bearing bracket d, secured to the switch stand member of the cross-ties f, or other suitable fixed support. The rod d is provided with a pair of fixed collars d and d, and with a loose collar 01 The fixed collar d co operates with the fixed bearing (1, to limit the outward movement of the rockingrod or bar d; and the collars d (1 embrace between them, the spring (2 encircling the rod The lug (Z' on the rod d, and the operating lever (1 are so related to each other, and to the passage (1 in the bracket d, that when the said lever (i is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the said cam-lug will be in a switchlocking position; and that when the said lever (Z is thrown to the ground or onto a suitable stop-block (not shown), the camlug d will be in line with the passage d Home, with this safety device, constructed as above described, it is obvious that when the lever d is thrown to the ground, the switch may be operated in the ordinary way from the switch-shaft 0 c entirely independent of the safety device; inasmuch, as when in the said position, the bracket r1 will move with the point cl, freely over the rod (1, with the cam-lug d working through the passage d When in this releasing position, however, the stop cl working against the bearing-bracket d, will prevent the spring 61 from throwing the rod 01 outward beyond its proper position, for engagement with the low part of the cam-surface d on the bracket (Z when the switch is turned back by the switch shaft 0 0 into its closed position with the main line. Hence, when the lever d is turned up into the position shown in Fig. 2, the lug d engaging with the cam-surface d will operate on the bracket d and the movable point 1) with a camming action, thereby compressing the spring d and clamping the movable point I) tightly against the stock-rail a a and thus holding the switch in its closed position. When the safety device is thus in its locked position, if a train should run in through the switch, from the branch, the spring d would yield, permitting the point I) to be thrown over by the wheel-flange toward or into contact with the rail a, thereby drawing with it the rod (Z, and setting the spring 01 under increased tension, which would become instantly effective, to restore the switch to its normal position, after the train had passed, so as to maintain a closed main line. In this action, the spring 0 of the automatic switch-stand would act in its customary way, and would co-operate with the spring d to close the switch; but the spring d should be strong enough to close the switch itself, even if the spring 0 in the stand should become broken or weakened.

The fact that the ordinary switch-lever 0 cannot be locked in its switch closing position, without raising the lever d and throwing the safety device into its locking position, is of course, a point of additional security; inasmuch as the brakeman or switchman must look the safety device, if he closes and locks the switch.

the stock ends of the same.

safety, inasmuch as wrecks frequently occur by the jumping of the point rail.

If the safety device is to be applied, for use in co-operation. with an ordinary non-automatic switchstand, it will be necessary to extend the switch-bar c and provide a slot in the outer end of the same, in which the pin on the crank-arm 0' may work, so as to permit the switch-bar to have a limited movement toward the rail a, independent of the crank-arm 0, when the switch shaft is in its locked position. When the connection between the switch-bar and the switch shaft crank are thus modified, the safety will work on a non-automatic switch-stand but in that event, reliance would have to be placed upon the safety device alone for the locking of the switch, in its closed position, and the switchlever 0 would have to be given a slight excessive motion inclosing the switch, and be then turned backward slightly to bring the lever into engagement with the lock-lug or staple c This slot and pin modification, for application of the safety device to a non-automatic switch-stand, is shown at 0 in Fig. 8.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. The combination with a point or split switch and an automatic switch-stand, of a supplemental safety shift or look applied to the movable points, cooperating with the switch-stand but also operative independent of the same, when in locked position, to yieldingly hold the movable point of the main line in its closed position and to close the same, if forced open, and operative, when unlocked, to release said points, for permitting the same to be thrown by the ordinary switch-levers, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A safety shift or lock,for split switches, comprising a rocking horizontal-rod or bar having a lug engageable with and disengageable from one of the movable points and a spring applied to said rod and tending, when the rod is in its locking position, to hold the said points in position to close the mainline, and means for rocking said rod from its locking to its releasing position or vice versa, sub stantially as described.

3. The combination with a split switch, of a pair of depending brackets rigidly secured one to the movable point and the other to the adjacent fixed or stock rail and a rod or bar extending through the depending parts of said brackets below the rails, and cooperating with said brackets and rails to prevent the upward jumping of the movable or'point rail, substantially as described. v

- 4. A safety shift or look for split switches, comprising a rocking shift rod or bar having a cam-lug on its inner end, suitable bearings for said rod including a pair of brackets securable one to the movable point and the other to the adjacent fixed rail, the inner member of which is engageable by said cam-lug, when in locking position, and is provided with a passage for the same when in releasing position, a spring reacting against said outer bracket and a fixed collar on said rod,

fixed collars 01 and d, the spring (1 the loose collar (1 the hand-lever d and the padlock and chain d carried by the lever d for securing both the ordinary switch-lever and the safetylever (i to the stand, in their switch locking position, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE L. WARREN.

Witnesses J AS. F. WILLIAMSON, FRANK D. MERCHANT. 

